Sworn To Transfer

to follow her and they walked over to a large fenced-in area in the corner.

It was lined with blankets and thick scarves that had been sewn together and stuffed in odd shapes. Carefully, Terris laid her kit right next to one of the odd pillow creatures and they watched as it snuggled up to it, clutching the thing with its claws. Ciardis did the same and they walked back to their station, taking on the newly birthed kits. Hours later, the mother griffin had given birth to eight kits, all told. All healthy and some even beginning to mew.

“Kits are hungry,” said Helen in tired satisfaction. “Let’s leave them to their mother now.”

The mother in question had already gotten up and begun to move over to the nursery area where her kits lay. It was large enough for her to comfortably lie down in a corner.

“In a few weeks they’ll be crawling and crying,” said Helen fondly.

When Raina passed by Ciardis and Terris, she spoke. Ciardis nearly jumped when words came flowing out of her beak. It had been long since she’d heard from the griffin, and even in the forest it had been mind-to- mind.

“You have my thanks,” she said. Carefully, she picked two shining golden feathers from her wings. Holding them in her beak, she motioned for Ciardis and Terris to take them. And then she turned her focus on her kits mewling for milk.

With a smile pasted from ear to ear, Helen shooed them to their baths with thanks of her own. Tired, aching, and covered in birthing fluids, Ciardis was happy to be gone. Terris, with a lingering look over her shoulder, followed less eagerly. As they walked outside, Ciardis took in the scenery. Next to the healer’s center was an herb garden, ordered and organized with a military general’s precision. It lay mostly bare now, but she suspected in would be vibrant with rows of green herbs and plants in the summer. She was surprised to see some very large bushes cordoned off to the side of the herb garden. While nothing else was much taller than her waist, these arched up above her head.

Poking Terris, she pointed them out. “Hart’s birth,” the girl replied with a yawn, “They’re incubators for the cardiara.”

Ciardis sighed in relief as they finally reached the cluster of low buildings on the forest floor that served as housing for the soaking and bathing pools. Walking in and taking towels from the stack laid out in the center of the open atrium, they could feel the steam wafting in from the hot spring on the other side.

An attendant said with a chiding smile, “Been at the birthing center, I take it?”

They nodded with tired smiles.

“Well,” she informed them, “the steam room is on the other side of this wall. You’ll be able to discard your clothes for washing and loosen up the gook in your hair.”

Dismayed, Ciardis reached up with a tentative hand and felt her locks, hoping in vain that there wasn’t any birthing fluid in the curls. It would be impossible to get it all out. Unfortunately she could feel her curls already stiffening in the goop.

Damn, she thought. Even though she was irritated, she still felt mildly impressed at the stiffness of the curls; the stuff could double as holding spray for hairstyles. If you could get past the “ick” factor.

“Beyond the steam room are the shower stations and bathing stations, and after that you can relax in the soaking pools.” The attendant quickly added, “There are bathing pool attendants who can help you with your hair. They have a special shampoo that they use whenever Helen comes in—works every time.”

Ciardis felt her shoulders relax in relief. Thank the gods.

Standing under the pounding water of the shower did much to relax Ciardis and Terris. They decided to head to the bathing pools after that just for the hair treatment. Once past a screen of thick trees that separated the two areas, they were treated to a complex of three bathing pools, one large enough to fit dozens of people and two smaller ones that were more intimate. The attendants took one look at the towel-wrapped girls’ hair and beckoned them over. They proceeded to untwist the braids that Terris had wrapped in elaborate loops in order to get to the goop inside the mass of hair.

For Ciardis, they released her curls from the ribbon binding them and manually applied a cream to each section. They explained that the fluids would harden under the cream until they could crack the outer layer surrounding their hair. Then they’d be able to wash it with a normal shampoo. Happy, the girls let them continue and relaxed in the hot water. After that, with wooden skewers holding their hair in place, they headed over to spend a good hour in the soaking pools.

When they arrived, it seemed as if they were not the only ones who had had the same idea. Meres and Vana already lay up to their chins in the hot mineral water. With surprise, Ciardis noted that all of the soaking pools were co-ed. They went up to Meres and Vana’s pool and eased into the hot water.

“Where were you two all day?” asked Vana.

“Giving birth to kits,” mumbled Ciardis.

At a raised eyebrow from Meres, Terris explained, “The golden griffin gave birth today. We soothed the kits while Healer Helen did the hard work.”

“Griffins have a long birthing process once started,” commented Meres. “Each kit can take up to an hour to pass through the birthing canal.”

“You’re telling me,” said Ciardis with a groan.

“Doesn’t seem so bad,” commented Vana with a wicked grin.

Terris snorted, “Yeah, compared to humans who can take two days, I’ll take it.”

After the girls had their fun poking at Meres, they turned to other more important matters.

“I’ve sent word to the courts and asked for further assistance,” he said.

“What was their response?” said Vana in a serious tone.

“A regiment was deployed days ago alongside Maree Amber and Prince Heir Sebastian,” he replied.

“It seems that the emperor is not taking this lightly.”

“Yes, but it could be a few more days before they arrive,” he replied with a grimace. “As you know, the road is horrible and that many soldiers will not be able move quickly.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Ciardis and Terris tried to look solemn and attentive while also hoping that Meres and Vana wanted them included in their conversation.

Tentatively, Ciardis said, “With Prince Heir Sebastian by your side, perhaps the attacks on the kith can be stopped.”

“The problem remains: Whom do we negotiate with? Why are they doing this?” Meres said while running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“I think it’s time we had a deeper conversation with the old man,” Vana announced. “We need to know as much as there is to know from the Panen people before the Prince Heir arrives.”

He nodded and they stood up to reach for the robes that the attendants had laid out for all of them.

“Terris and Ciardis,” Vana said while eyeing the girls, “I think you’ve both had a long enough day. Retire to the guest quarters, please.”

They nodded, wishing they were going with them to meet with Alexandra’s grandfather but not willing to push their luck.

As they headed back, the sunset wasn’t that perceptible through the dark canopy of trees that housed the homes of the forest people. But the quiet of the forest, the gradual disappearance of daylight, and the general restful atmosphere told the girls that the sun was going down. Bedding down in the guesthouse that had been given to them in their twin cots, which had been heaped with blankets for the cold nights, Ciardis could think of nothing better than a restful night’s sleep.

Curling up in her bed with a “Goodnight,” to Terris, she dropped into a deep sleep.

*****

Hours later she was roused roughly from her slumber by an excited Terris. Ignoring her, Ciardis snatched the covers over her head and did her best to burrow back into the comforting warmth of her bed.

“Ciardis,” snapped Terris while tugging the blanket back. “Flightfeather’s here.”

“Tell him to go away,” came the muffled response from under the covers.

“He needs help,” pleaded Terris.

“Help, needs help,” echoed the large gray owl in both their heads.